Chapter 27

“Hmm.”

It wasn’t that he did these things hoping for affection, but he thought it would increase a little.

However, that was completely his misconception.

In the end, it seemed he couldn’t gain Louise’s affection through anything related to money.

The system was more complicated than he thought.

“So then, what on earth…?”

At this point, he couldn’t help but be curious.

A while ago, he had cooked another dish for Louise.

It was a dish called gnocchi, similar to dumplings, made by mixing potato and flour dough, frying it until golden, and serving it with a cream sauce.

Knowing that his cooking could increase affection, he put a little more effort into making it taste better than usual.

Sure enough, Louise ate it very deliciously and kept expressing her admiration.

But for some reason, the affection level didn’t rise.

He didn’t know if it was because he had already gained affection through cooking once, or if it wasn’t an extraordinary enough situation to increase the affection level.

He re-read the part about Louise in the character list.

[Married her husband through an arranged marriage but has never consummated their relationship. Desperately wants a happy married life and children with her husband.]

What Louise wanted from her husband, Alec, was all too clear.

Unable to look any further, he closed the system window. Meanwhile, Louise had cut up the steak.

“Alec, eat a lot.”

“Thank you.”

He picked up his cutlery.

Or perhaps, could it be that Louise’s kind behavior towards him was all an act?

Otherwise, how could such a gentle wife’s affection level be just 2?

“Wow, it looks delicious.”

Just as he was about to stab a piece of steak with his fork.

Eloise exclaimed in admiration and snatched his piece of meat.

“……”

“Indeed, the middle part of the steak is the softest and most delicious.”

Nom nom.

Eloise happily chewed away.

Alec blankly stared at his plate.

Like a missing front tooth, the center of his steak was empty.

“……”

The plate, with a thick gap where the meat had been, looked desolate.

He wasn’t particularly greedy about food.

If someone asked for his food, he would give it up without question.

But seeing the thickest, softest piece of meat snatched away right in front of him, he felt a bit bewildered and a sense of futility washed over him.

At that moment.

Louise put her cutlery down with a clatter and glared at Eloise.

“Eloise. Don’t you think that’s too much?”

“Huh?”

“How many times have I told you not to eat just the middle parts?”

“Then what should I do? I’ve eaten all of mine.”

“What do you mean, all? What about the edges left on your plate?”

“You know I don’t eat the scraps because they don’t taste good.”

“You really…”

“……”

Eloise blinked innocently, while sparks flew from Louise’s eyes.

The atmosphere was such that no one could intervene in the showdown between the two women.

Their mother, seemingly accustomed to this scene, just shook her head and continued eating her soup.

“I don’t care if you take mine. But are you doing this because you think your brother is a pushover?”

“Why does it matter if I eat my brother’s food?”

“He’s my husband, so of course it matters!”

Bang!

Eloise suddenly slammed the table with her fist and stood up.

The plates rattled noisily.

“Eloise, can’t you just eat quietly?”

Only then did their mother intervene, but Eloise didn’t bat an eye.

“Husband, my foot. Do you think I don’t know you two are just a fake couple? You’re not even in love!”

“……”

“That’s why you don’t have any children!”

“Uh, um…”

Eloise picked up her plate and stormed out of the dining room.

Louise glared at the place where Eloise had left, clenching her fists and grinding her teeth.

Soon, she relaxed her gaze, took up a napkin with her characteristic grace.

“It’s frustrating, but I can’t deny the truth, so I can’t argue.”

“……”

She looked as calm as if nothing had happened.

Then Louise picked up her knife and started cutting the steak.

She precisely cut the middle part into bite-sized pieces, then filled the gap in his steak.

Looking at him with an incredibly affectionate gaze, she warmly said,

“Here, eat this, Alec. I’ll make sure to protect your food from now on.”

“……”

Thump.

At that moment, Alec’s heart thumped.

What was this feeling?

Looking down at his plate again.

The perfectly restored steak exuded a sense of abundance.

However, her affection level was still 2.

***

After dinner.

Feeling refreshed from a bath, Alec went to bed early.

The past few days had been busy, packing the necessary household items, clothes, and luxuries into the house.

Finally, he felt relieved that the move was over.

Lying in bed, the cozy mattress seemed to gently support his body, making him feel comfortable.

The blanket, which had been recently washed and thoroughly dried near the fireplace, was exceptionally warm.

Yet, the thought of the “affection level 2” continued to linger in his mind.

“Is it really possible to keep increasing it?”

Unlike boss mobs that would die if continuously attacked, he couldn’t even guess how to approach raising affection levels.

He hadn’t initially thought it was possible, but after seeing it rise by just 2 points, it started to bother him.

Feeling a slight headache, he raised his hand to place it over his eyes.

Was it because the bed and blanket were so cozy?

Before he knew it, he fell asleep.

For a long time, he was in a deep sleep.

“You useless child!”

A deep, harsh voice echoed through his hazy consciousness.

It was a familiar yet very strange voice, as if from a very old memory.

…Useless child?

Awoken by that sharp voice, Alec felt a rush of unfamiliar emotions.

The pain of a whip slashing his small back, the helplessness of wishing the time would pass quickly, and the despair of feeling like a truly useless son.

Three years old?

Or maybe four?

Young Alec curled up, trying to hold back tears.

At that moment, Alec realized what was happening.

“This is a dream.”

It wasn’t his memory, so it must have been something that the Alec of this world experienced.

Was it because he had taken over Alec’s body that their memories were synchronizing?

“Again! Say it again! How much more do you need to be beaten to speak properly!”

His father’s thunderous roar reverberated in his ears.

He was terrified.

Young Alec couldn’t open his tightly closed lips and trembled all over.

Once a month, his father would visit to check how much he had studied and whether his stuttering had improved, only to express his disappointment.

“You should never have been born!”

“……”

“It’s truly lamentable that I have to entrust our family to a defective person like you!”

Thud.

His father threw down the whip.

Thud, thud.

He coldly walked away.

Though the one inflicting violence was leaving, why did his heart feel more cold and painful than when he was being hit?

Alec curled up even more and silently shed tears.

The pain from his wounds was nothing.

His heart was breaking, making any physical pain insignificant.

He was an unwanted existence.

If he hadn’t been born, his father wouldn’t be angry, and the family wouldn’t be disgraced.

He felt sorrow for being born in such a pitiful state.

But the wounds on his back never had time to heal.

Whack, whack!

“You’re worse than a commoner!”

“Do you know how much my honor has been tarnished by being related to a fool like you?”

Kicks rained down on his small back.

It was Aksen’s gang.

A distant relative, Aksen was the most aggressive among those who bullied him.

“Die! Just die!”

Young Alec only wished for the time to pass quickly.

He had long become used to physical pain.

The hatred and contempt from others were more painful.

The servants silently bathed him and applied ointment to his wounds.

They were always worried about him, but fearing his father, they never dared to ask if he was okay.

Seeking comfort from his mother only added to his heartache.

“Why can’t you give me another son! You expect me to leave that defective as my heir? You’re not a cheap opera singer, obsessed with singing!”

“If you hadn’t spread your worthless seed among other women, I would have had another one by now!”

“Shut up!”

Startled by his parents’ shouting, Alec just returned to his room.

Thinking that his parents were fighting because of him made his heart crumble.

TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up to the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories